Investigations
DOOR GLASS DETACHMENT
NHTSA Preliminary Evaluation PE09027 - closed, opened 2009-05-21.
NHTSA investigation PE09027 is a Preliminary Evaluation opened on 2009-05-21 and currently closed. The subject is tracked inside the Office of Defects Investigation queue. Latest activity on this investigation was logged on 2009-09-24 - NHTSA updates that field whenever an Information Request goes out, a supplement is filed, or a status change is recorded in the public docket.
A Preliminary Evaluation like PE09027 is the entry point of the federal defect-investigation process. NHTSA engineers scan complaint databases, field reports, and manufacturer data to decide whether an Engineering Analysis is warranted, whether a voluntary recall is already sufficient, or whether the pattern does not rise to a defect finding.
Investigators summarized the matter as follows: "THIS INVESTIGATION WAS OPENED AFTER A FLEET NOTIFIED ODI THAT IT HAD LOST A FRONT DOOR GLASS PANEL WHILE THE BUS WAS BEING OPERATED. A FIELD INSPECTION REVEALED TWELVE MORE BUSES HAD LOOSE DOOR GLASS PANELS. ODI IS ALWAY..." Investigations are the early-warning layer of the federal auto-safety system, sitting upstream of formal recalls and defect orders. Whether this one closes without action or escalates into an Engineering Analysis, the full history stays in the ODI archive so researchers, litigators, and buyers can pull the paper trail at any time.
Investigation Summary
THIS INVESTIGATION WAS OPENED AFTER A FLEET NOTIFIED ODI THAT IT HAD LOST A FRONT DOOR GLASS PANEL WHILE THE BUS WAS BEING OPERATED. A FIELD INSPECTION REVEALED TWELVE MORE BUSES HAD LOOSE DOOR GLASS PANELS. ODI IS ALWAYS CONCERNED WITH OBJECTS THAT SEPARATE FROM VEHICLES AND COULD POSSIBLY STRIKE ANOTHER VEHICLE OR HIT A PEDESTRIAN. ODI'S FINDINGS WERE RELAYED TO DAIMLER AND THEY COMMENCED AN INVESTIGATION. DAIMLER WILL CONDUCT A SAFETY RECALL TO CORRECT THIS CONDITION ON APPROXIMATELY 13,945 BUSES. DAIMLER BELIEVES THAT THE ENTRANCE DOOR GLASS MAY BE INADEQUATELY BONDED TO THE DOOR FRAME. DAIMLER WILL NOTIFY THE AGENCY IN THE NEAR FURTHER AS TO WHAT CORRECTIVE ACTION THEY PLAN TO TAKE. THIS RESOLVES THE ISSUES RAISED BY THIS INVESTIGATION AND THEREFORE THIS INVESTIGATION IS CLOSED.
About This Investigation Type
A Preliminary Evaluation (PE) is the first phase of NHTSA's investigation process. It is opened when the agency identifies a potential safety defect pattern, usually triggered by consumer complaints, manufacturer reports, or field monitoring. During a PE, NHTSA gathers information to determine whether a formal engineering analysis is warranted.
Data from NHTSA Office of Defects Investigation. Cross-references: NHTSA recall campaign API and NHTSA FARS where fatality records overlap. PlainCars does not rate or recommend vehicles. about how PlainCars sources NHTSA data.
Read our methodology - how this data is sourced, computed, and verified.